Fair-lead construction



Nov. 24, 1942. Y ,L. BERNER 2303,020

FAIRLEAD CONSTRUCTION FiledAug. 12, 1940 3 Sheets-Shed 1 i INVENTOR [2 flak/7e7- Wwm ATTORNEY Nov. 24, 1942. BERNER FAIRLEAD CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Filed Aug. 12, 1940 INVENfQR 56/77 er TORNEY Nov.24, 1942. BERNE 2303;020-

FAIRLEAD CONSTRUCTION Filed-Aug. -12, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 [ea flex-ner- BY? '76)? 2 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 24, 1942 Leo Berner, San Jose, Calif.,' assi'gnor to Wooldridge Manufacturing Company, Sunnyvale, Gal-it, a corporation of Nevada 7 Application August '12, 1940, SerialNo. 352,233

' 7 Glaims.

This invention relates generally "to winch units of the type making use of a'plurality of parallel drums'for Winding. up or playing out separate ropes or cables. More particularly the invention relates to an advantageous multiple fairle'ad construction'for'imultiple drum winch units adapted for attachment to present .day tractors for operation of various equipment such as road making machines, hoists, scrapers, earth movers, and the like.

It is anobject of the invention to'provide a winoh'unit having an improved fairlead construction for use. with 'a pair of adjacentwinc'h drums to provide an increased range ofrelative turning movement between the draft and 'drawn'vehicles without interference hetwe'enthe cables and .the adjacent parts of the "mechanism such as the winchhousing.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved *fairle'ad construction or the .type referredto' for a winch iunit having drums moimted in -'s'ide'-by-side relationship about vertically disposed axes on a draft vehicle to 'provide an optimum relation and spacing of .the respective fairleads to avoid interference therebetween.

Other objects and advantages ofthe invention will be apparent from the following description of 'apreferred embodiment thereof,-which-is illustrated in 'theaccompanying drawings.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is aside elev-ati'cnal view illustrating a winchconstruction incorporating the instant invention;

Figure 2-is a'p'lan view 'ofthewinch unit;

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of the fairleadconstruction for a-p'air 'of vertically disposed axialy aligned winch drums;

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of the fairlead construction shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional View through one ofthe f-airleads, the 'view being taken in a plane indicated bythe line 5-5 in FigureZ.

The winch construction illustrated in-the drawings is of the general character disclosed and claimed in Hutchins Patent No. 2,-171','792 granted September 5, 1939', :and entitled Attachment for tractors and'the like, as modified in'the copending application of Gerald LClark, 'SerialNo. 3051224, S'filed November 20', 1939, 'Patent No. 2,270,507.; .dated January '20, 1942, for Winch construction. The winchunit disclosed in the presentapplication hasa-pair of vertically aligned drums controlled froma single lever on one side, and a single drum on the otherside. In conjunctioni-with'the'drums shown, additional drums can be employed for handling supplemental ropes or cables. around respective fairleads mounted for rotation about respective horizontal axes arranged oblique- The cables from the drums are trained ly with respect to. the longitudinal axis of the win-chumi't.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 the winch unit is designated generally at 1-0, and :isshown applied as an attachment to atractor I l. The unit itself includes a housing l2 which carries the winch drums A, .B, and C. The housing I2 is bolted to an adapter l3 which issuitably mounted on a portion 14 of the tractor through which the drive shaft (not shown) extends. 'Each drum may be suitably connected to the drive shaft by means of .a worm and worm gear connection and is provided with a suitable clutch mechanism and brake mechanism indicated generallyat l6 and which maybe controlled by means of an operating control shaft I8 provided with a suitable hand lever (not shown).

For the purposes of'the present invention, it is suflicient to understand 'thatby suitable manipulation of the shafts l8, any one of the drums A, 'B, or C may "be selectively controlled to either play out or Wind up cable.

As seen in Figure 2, the housing I2 "is provided --with a substantially V-s'ha-ped rear wall formed by respective end plates 2| and 22 which are suitably secured as bywelding to the side walls '23 and "central structure 24 of the housing i2 and are disposed at an oblique angle with respect to each other. End plates 2| and 22 are similar and serve to mount similar fairlead units indicated generally at 26. Referring to Figures 3 to 5, the end plate 2*]; for example, hassuitable vertically spaced apertures to receive respective bearing -cages 21, in each of which the hub 28 =of-a fairlead unit is journaled by means of suitable bearings 29. Conventional seals 31 may be provided between the unit and it's bearing =cage. Each fairlead unit includes spaced journal arms 32 formed integral-1y with *hub 28 and in which the fairlead sheave 33 is journaled on as-uitabl'e-stub shaft 34 by ball or roller bear ing'fifi. Shaft 3*4 'is' oiiset-from hub '28 to place sheave '33 substantially tangent to the hub axis. The opposite journal arms 32 of each fairlead unit are connected by a bolt .-=3-1"which extends through'a' spac'ing sleeve 38.

In order -to limit swinging movement of a fairleadunit, respective-stop" arms :41 (Figure 3 'may be provided at either side to engage the journal arms 32.

:Each fairlead sheave (33 is adapted for engagement by a cable 39 which extends inwardlythrough the hub 28 of theiairlead unit and is wound about the-.associatedwinch drum. The position of the-iairlead unit with respect to the associated. drum is such that :a tangent line to the sheave; at the point- 1o'f first contact of the cable therewith (the center line of hub 28) is also tangent to the median wound diameter of the cooperating drum.

where the horizontal position of a pair of horizontally spaced sheaves is indicated in dottedlines.

Also, the angular location of the fairlead axis positions a fairlead sheave during an inside turn so that its cable can be wound about the sheave for about 180 without interfering with the structural portion of the winch unit.

In operation, the respective cables 39 are attached to their drums A, B, and C and trained over the associated fairleads and thence to suitable sheaves located on the drawn equipment. As the tractor turns, the relative turning movement between the tractor and the drawn equipment will cause swinging of the fairleads about their axis in either direction from their straight ahead position, wherein they lie substantially in the line extending from the winch drum of the winch unit to the associated sheave on the drawn vehicle. As relative turning movement is effected between the tractor and the drawn vehicle, for example, a left-hand turn as shown in Figure 2, the swinging of the fairlead sheaves toward their horizontal position produces a longitudinal displacement between the respective horizontally parallel cables so that no interference can occur. As clearly seen in Figure 2, the drawn equipment can be positioned substantially at a right angle to the tractor without any touching of the adjacent cables. At the same time the arrangement is such that the cables can be played out or wound up in the extreme turning position shown in Figure 2 without any undue strain on the cables or the winch unit itself.

I claim: I

l. A winch construction comprising a housing, at least two winch drums, means mounting said drums in said housing with their axes parallel and vertical, said housing including a pair of vertically disposed end plates positioned to include an oblique angle, and a fairlead unit for each of said drums there being at least one fairlead unit journalled in each of said end plates about a horizontal axis substantially perpendicular to the related end plate.

2. A winch construction comprising a housing, at least two winch drums, means mounting said drums in said housing with their axes parallel and vertical, said housing including a pair of vertically disposed end plates positioned to include an oblique angle, and a -fairlead unit for each of said drums, each fairlead unit including an apertured hub journaled in an end plate about an axis substantially perpendicular to said plate and a sheave carried by said hub and having its periphery disposed substantially tangent to the hub axis, there being at least one fairlead unit for each end plate.

3. A winch construction comprising at least two winch drums, means mounting said drums with their axes spaced parallel and vertical, a longitudinal center line perpendicular to the plane containing said drum axes and passing between said drum axes, cables on said drums, a fairlead for each of said drums to receive the respective cables therefrom, means mounting each fairlead for swinging movement about a substantially horizontal axis with the axes of said respective fairleads positioned to include an acute angle and being obliquely disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of the winch construction;

4. A winch construction comprising at least two winch drums, means mounting said drums with their axes spaced parallel and vertical, a longitudinal center line perpendicular to the plane containing said drum axes and passing between said drum axes, cables on said drums, a fairlead for each of said drums including a sheave, and means mounting each fairlead in position to receive the cable from the associated winch drum and for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, said axis being tangent to the sheave of the fairlead, and said fairlead axes each forming an angle oblique with respect to the longitudinal center line and being symmetrically disposed with respect thereto.

5. A winch construction comprising at least two winch drums, means mounting said drums with their axes spaced parallel and vertical, a longitudinal center line perpendicular to the plane containing said drum axes and passing between said drum axes, cables on said drums, a fairlead for each of said drums, each fairlead having a sheave with an axis offset from the fairlead axis, and means mounting each of said fairleads in position to receive the cable from the associated winch drum and for swining movement about a horizontal axis disposed obliquely with respect to the longitudinal center line whereby the longitudinal position of the fairlead sheave changes as it is swung aboutits axis.

6. A winch construction comprising'a housing, at least two winch drums, means mounting said drums in said housing with their 'axes spaced parallel and vertical,, a longitudinal center line perpendicular to the plan containing said drum axes and passing between said drum axes, said housing including a pair of vertically disposed end plates providing a rearward V-shape for the housing, a fairlead unit for each of said drums, there beingat least one fairlead unit journalled in each of said end plates about a horizontal axisforming an angle with said longitudinal center line. I

'7. A winch construction including a housing having opposite side walls and an end wall, the longitudinal center line of said housing being disposed in a plane passing between said side walls and symmetrically related thereto, a drum mounted in said housing, a cable wound on said drum, and a fairlead for said cable mounted on said end wall for swinging movement about a substantially horizontal axis which diverges rearwardly from th longitudinal axis of said construction, said fairlead including an offset sheave having its periphery substantially tanget to said fairlead axis, 'said fairlead and said housing being constructed and arranged to place said sheave when swung toward a horizontal position with its periphery adjacent the plane of one of the side walls of said housing. I 1

LEO BERNER. 

